Not so smooth vodka advert leaves brand grovelling over ‘rape suggestion’ which sparked fury among fans

A Belvedere Vodka advert went down less than smoothly than planned, leaving the company furiously back-peddling after it appeared to belittle the seriousness of sex attacks.

The ad, which was shared on the brand’s official Twitter and Facebook feeds on Friday, pictures a terrified-looking woman lurching away from a grinning man, with the slogan ‘Unlike Some People Belvedere Always Goes Down Smoothly’ written across the bottom.

Followers immediately reacted with disgust at the risqué ad which they said makes light of sexual assault.

Outrage: The risque advert prompted fury among Belvedere's Twitter followers and Facebook fans after being interpreted as belittling sexual assault

The advert was taken down from the internet within an hour but not before being seen by many of Belvedere’s 10,263 Twitter followers and 916,970 Facebook fans.

The advert unleashed fury among those who interpreted its message as being that the man was trying to force the woman to perform oral sex on him.

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'FAIL. Never touching your product ever again,' a Twitter user under the name @TheTomasRios wrote.

An apology from the brand only made matters worse, with fans complaining it failed to address the apparent rape reference.

Backtrack: The advert was taken down from the internet within an hour but not before being seen by many of Belvedere¿s 10,263 Twitter followers and 916,970 Facebook fans

'It is quite possibly the most offensive thing I have seen in a long time,' Florida beer writer Sean Nordquist wrote on Twitter in response to Belvedere’s apology.

Another wrote on Facebook: 'Belvedere Vodka, your apology is insufficient as it does not accept responsibility for promoting rape-culture.'

So marketers had another go, issuing a second sorry-note.

'The post is absolutely inconsistent with our values and beliefs and in addition to removing the offensive post we are committed to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again,' Jason Lundy, senior vice president of global marketing, wrote on Facebook.

The company's president, Charles Gibbs, finally waded in, attempting to make amends by announcing it would be making a donation to an American anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN.

'It should never have happened. I am currently investigating the matter to determine how this happened and to be sure it never does so again,’ Gibbs wrote. ‘The content is contrary to our values and we deeply regret this lapse.'